Sporadic shooting scares Tamale residents

There was sporadic shooting between two rival groups in the Tamale Metropolis Monday night, which disturbed the peace and left many residents in fear.

The incident occurred at Aboabo, a suburb of Tamale, between the Aboabo butcher boys and the 'Gadahaa' boys but it is not yet known what may have sparked the firing, which started at about 21:00 and lasted till 00:30 GMT.

The presence of the police and the military patrol teams did not scare the rioters as they continued shooting indiscriminately in the air using the difficult-to-pass-through homes as barricades, and prevented the security from making any arrest.

A resident who witnessed the incident but pleaded anonymity expressed surprise and dismay at the impunity that was displayed in the Metropolis, and stressed that he could not sleep the whole night due to the disturbance.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) contacted Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Caesar Abanga, the Tamale Metropolitan Police Commander, he said the police had information about the incident at about 21:00 GMT and quickly moved into the area only to realize the two groups were engaged in a shooting spree.

He said the police could not arrest any of the culprits because they were hiding in the local houses. “The sound of the guns indicated that the groups were using G3 and AK47 rifles, and these are sophisticated guns”, he added.

DSP Abanga said the police and the military continued to patrol the area throughout the night until calm was restored, but could not establish the immediate or the remote cause of the incident. He also indicated that a similar incident occurred between the two groups on 31st January this year.

He said no casualty was recorded nor any arrest made, but gave the assurance that investigations were on-going to establish the cause and identify the perpetrators for possible arrests.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Security Committee (MUSEC) scheduled a meeting for Tuesday morning to unravel the incident.